Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Monday (Oct 26, 2026)

A man walks with his son along a flooded road following recent rains as people ride motorbikes home after their work shift in Chong Thnol village outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia. -- AP Photo/Heng Sinith

Malaysia

* High Court dismisses KLIA shooter’s appeal to backdate seven-year jail term

* Selangor Ruler rebukes mishandling of Tabung Haji

* Criticism not to interfere, says Sultan Sharafuddin

* PM congratulates Sultan Sharafuddin on Silver Jubilee

* Pahang Palace denies viral TikTok claims about crown prince

* Defend Sabah, Sarawak rights with respect, not provocation’

* Haze relief soon but El Nino looms

* Continuous rain in the north triggers flash floods in Kedah, Penang

* Husband charged with murder of AKPS officer; case set for Dec 22 mention

* All 19 crew members rescued after sand dredger sinks off Kuala Kurau

* Traffic slows in Malaysia airports in September amid soft domestic demand

* Govt preparing amendments to crack down on nafkah defaulters

* Border Control seizes RM322.7mil in goods up to October, record nearly fourfold jump

* Akmal to submit fresh representation after AG rejects bid to drop charge of causing public alarm

* Over 253,000 bankruptcy discharges recorded since 2023, govt plans higher threshold

* Govt defends Tabung Haji’s RM15,000 savings rule, denies institution acting like a bank

* Akmal Saleh to appeal against Teresa Kok’s defamation suit ruling

* Select committee on separating AG and Public Prosecutor roles to meet next week, says Azalina

* Govt retiree claims trial to charges involving two girls

* Testing the limits of political cooperation / * PH to contest Melaka as united coalition

* Border Control Agency unveils interactive hologram kiosk to assist international arrivals at KLIA Terminal 1

A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, October 26, 2026. The haze has sent air pollution levels surging to dangerous levels not only in Indonesia but also in Malaysia, Singapore, and East Timor, prompting the ASEAN regional bloc to call a meeting over the crisis. -- Photo by Mohd Rasfan / AFP

Singapore

* Malaysia and Singapore continue to strengthen energy supply, say top officials

* Singapore-Malaysia energy regulators renew partnership to boost sector cooperation

* Singapore’s Wong vows more support for workers, energy security

* Saudi Arabia to establish crude oil storage arrangement in Singapore

* Singapore embassy rejects claims of meeting with Indonesian figures, says it’s ‘disinformation’

* Saudi Arabia to store crude oil in Singapore to bolster Asia supply security

* Haze in Singapore: Normal PM2.5 readings and good to moderate 24-hour PSI islandwide

* Man to be charged after allegedly injuring two men with a knife in Prinsep Street, Singapore

* All 10 Singapore-based firms acknowledge NEA notices on haze law; majority say they will cooperate

* Oil slips from near six-months highs despite supply concerns

* Taiwanese show host Jacky Wu opens up about retirement, being single & how he ‘loves’ Singapore

Indonesia

* Indonesia defends gas export cuts; says existing contracts have not been breached

* Indonesia begins trimming pipeline gas exports to Singapore

* Indonesia: Seeking mercy on death penalty

* Rescuers save orang utan mum, baby from deadly snare

* Indonesian ruling coalition partner seeks House talks on vice president Gibran's fate after court ruling

* Across boundaries: how Riau’s communities are joining forces against fire

* Agnez Mo makes history as the first Indonesian celebrity to be featured at the famed Madame Tussauds Hollywood 

* Indonesia Haze: Worth more alive than dead 

* Indonesia's fire hotspots fall by more than half to 147

Martini, 45, holds her 6-month-old niece as they sit near a boat that is stranded in the mud after the water levels in Karian reservoir, which supplies water for surrounding areas including Jakarta, dropped amid the El Niño-driven prolonged drought, causing the remnants of the houses and mosque of the Somang village to reemerge in Lebak, Banten province, Indonesia. -- Photo: REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

Thailand

* Asian countries should chart their own pathways to end the death penalty, says Gloria Arroyo 

* Thailand launches RM6.13bil household solar push

* Thai Tourism; Eyeing an Asean influx

* Thai Customs crackdown nets over 577kg of cannabis Oct 1–24

* Thailand hits back at Cambodia over two temples

* Thailand warns 14 southern provinces of heavy rain and floods

* Asian shares make cautious start, Brent eases from six-month high

Philippines

* Philippines defends bounty for fugitive senator wanted by ICC

* Philippine journalist says arrest, libel case a ‘special operation’

* Philippines’ Marcos appoints new head of scandal-hit Public Works department

* Philippines VP Sara Duterte’s husband Mans Carpio behind cyberlibel case against journalist

* Trump says Decision nearing on Iran: Deal or ‘Finish It Off’

* Wellness: No further cancer treatment needed for Pope 

* SpaceX enters $40 billion deal with Apollo for AI chip financing

Philippines' Carlos Edriel Yulo competes in the Men's Vault Final during the 54th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the southern Netherlands. -- Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP

Vietnam

* Belgian engineer brings 11 pigs as wedding offerings to marry a Vietnamese ethnic woman

* Four killed after motorcycles collide in North Vietnam

* Police find 91 foreigners working illegally at Dong Nai firm

* How Houthi attacks have grounded flights across Saudi Arabia

* Top Democrat says chip restrictions are ‘key lever’ for US AI edge over China

* Iran says US 'not serious' about talks, rejects claims over nuclear programme as oil prices take a tumble 

Myanmar

* Myanmar students explore Chinese culture through language training programme

* How purchases of sanctioned Iranian jet fuel were disguised by Myanmar

* United Nations probe accuses Israel of 'extermination' in West Bank

* Is China a Russia-allied Arctic threat to Europe or a potential polar partner?

* Why China’s heritage-listed Dog-Carrying Festival honours canines as sacred lifesavers

Vietnam's President To Lam (R) meets with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Hanoi on Monday, October 26, 2026. -- Photo by Quang Nguyen / AFP

Cambodia

* The glory of Angkor: Cambodia's 1,000-year-old Vishnu goes on display in San Francisco

* As Cambodia marks first anniversary of Trump-brokered KL Accord, peace far from certain

* ADB approves US$72mil package to boost Cambodia's rural farming resilience

* Cambodia hosts major international  conference to tackle climate and supply pressures

* Chinese neighbours go viral over 200-year land dispute dating back to the Qianlong era

Laos

* Laos rises 10 places in global tourism development ranking

* Lao Govt flags revenue, roads, public security as top priorities

* China condemns US designation of Confucius Institutes as a threat

Brunei

* Brunei urged to turn investment into jobs, exports, and economic growth at international conference

* Red tide spreads to Brunei Bay waters

* Comedians face off in Brunei

North Korean soldiers resting near a newly set up barbed wire fence along their border are seen in this picture taken from an observation deck in Gimpo, South Korea, on Monday, October 26, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Aseanplus

* Malaysia's well positioned to play key roles as regional data centre hub- Moody's Ratings

* Anwar congratulates Lula on election victory

* SoftBank’s Son plans US$50bil Malaysia tech outlay, PM says

* China national held in HK over cocaine from Penang allegedly promised RM1,200

* Taiwan’s Iran-style attack drone could swamp PLA air defences: analysts

* Germany wants to avoid China trade war despite EU ‘kill switch’: Merz

* Thousands of trucks stuck as partial Iran-Pakistan trade resumes

* Japanese companies compensate users as cyberattacks buffet economy

* Voting opens in New Zealand for November 7 election with no clear frontrunner

* Dysphagia-friendly ramen developed by Japanese researchers, restaurant owner

* Five economic challenges facing Brazil's re-elected President Lula

* Nepal SAR: Specialised tech paves way after two offers declined, says SMART commander

* Japanese companies compensate users as cyberattacks buffet economy

* Moonshot resets subscriber quotas after Kimi K3.1 Pro launch issues

* Close shave for Mumbai’s Kedarnath pilgrims as helicopter makes emergency landing in Tehri

* Pet custody disputes draw increasing attention in China, where pets are treated as property

* One in five murders commited by domestic violence, stalking or sex crimes

* Im Si-wan falls for a man, or so he thinks, in 'Love In Disguise'

* A 5.2-magnitude quake hits Bonin Islands, Japan

* Australian politicians pay tribute to wounded lawmaker

* North Korea-South Korea tensions high as letters lodged with UN, howitzers spotted

* Imam in Bangladesh gets life term over rape of girl

* Beijing falls for chrysanthemums in autumn

* South Korea’s winter style gets a colourful twist with brighter puffer jackets

* Yasuo Fukuda, Japan's first second-generation prime minister, dies at 90, Nikkei reports

* South Korea's Lee says unlikely to join Pacific trade pact within his term

* Rahul Gandhi’s convoy involved in accident on Purvanchal Expressway, several injured

* Australia police chief says angry debate adds risks for lawmakers

* China's Communist Party elite hold key talks on governance

* Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi acquitted in defamation case, TV channels report

* India to evacuate thousands as Cyclone Arnab nears eastern coast

* First international flight lands at new Western Sydney Airport

* Sexual assaults on madrasah children in Bangladesh spark outrage

* Nepal resumes power exports to Bangladesh after flood disruption

* Nonagenarian in Japan outwits suspected scammer

* Japan indicts US Marine on murder charge in Okinawa

* Man found dead in floodwaters in Australia's Queensland

* Royal love story that challenged tradition: Bhutan's king and queen's fairytale wedding remembered 15 years on

* Entertainment: HK singer Alan Tam meets Jackie Chan, Eric Tsang, George Lam, Sally Yeh: ‘Once-in-a-lifetime group photo’